Pertussis still spreading in Weld County

Pertussis is a bacterial infection of the respiratory tract that can easily spread though the air in droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The illness often starts with cold-like symptoms, including sneezing, a runny nose or low-grade fever, along with a mild cough. The cough usually becomes more severe during the first week or two, and is sometimes characterized by episodes of rapid coughs (coughing fit), followed by a high-pitched whoop, vomiting or breathlessness. The cough usually lasts for a couple of months and is more frequent at night.

Some people may have mild symptoms and not know they have whooping cough. They may spread the disease to others, including newborns and children who are not fully immunized and create a higher risk of hospitalization and death due to pertussis.

Prevention

The Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment continues to say prevention is key to controlling the spread of pertussis. Dr. Mark Wallace stresses the following three points:

» Get vaccinated. It’s important to follow the recommended series of boosters for both adults and children, because the pertussis vaccine does not provide life-long protection.

» Get tested by a health care provider if a cough lasts longer than two weeks in order to receive the appropriate treatment. Pertussis can be treated.

» Always cover your cough and wash your hands. The health department also recommends “cocooning” vaccination efforts beyond just the parents and siblings — encouraging grandparents and caregivers to get vaccinated in order to protect the infants and children they are caring for from pertussis.

Related Media

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, continues to infect Weld County residents at a much higher rate than normal and 2014 looks like it will be a bad year for the disease, county health department spokesman Eric Aakko said.

So far this year, there have been 30 new cases of whooping cough, Mark Wallace, executive director of the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment, said in a news release March 3.

Last year, Weld had more than 100 cases but typically averages just four per year, according to the news release.

“We’ve just been getting steady reports from schools and employers about pertussis,” Aakko said. “Clearly it’s not going away in 2014.”

Pertussis is a highly infectious cough that can last from weeks to months according to the health department. The cough gets its name from the whooping sound that can be a symptom in severe cases.

Aakko said Weld isn’t the only county affected this year.

“It’s a statewide epidemic,” he said.

The health department released a video Monday to show people what symptoms of whooping cough sound like.

Aakko said whooping cough traditionally is seen more during the cold season. However, for the past year, the county has seen cases confirmed year-round.

“They are spread out throughout the year,” Aakko said. “We usually see a big jump in winter and spring and not as many during the summertime, when kids aren’t in schools.”

He said teachers, day care workers and others who work with kids should be especially cautious, as they can carry and spread the disease to others without noticing any symptoms themselves.

“They could have mild symptoms and may not know they are carrying it,” Aakko said. “It’s important when considering health of infants or young children.”

Aakko said people can be vaccinated against whooping cough with a combined tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine, which is available at the health department or a physician’s office. He said he hasn’t heard of any shortages in the Tdap vaccine.

Other recommendations to help mitigate the spread of the disease are to stay home if you’re sick, cover your cough and wash your hands with warm, soapy water, Aakko said. He also suggested people get adequate sleep and physical activity, and eat a healthy diet to keep their immune system strong.

“It will protect you, not only against pertussis, but also the flu and cold,” Aakko said.